Tutorial: Hanging Frames on Curtain Rod

12.22.2012

I'm usually not very crafty. Like...not at all crafty. I would much rather just go buy cute things than have to make them. But after I balanced the "check book" (an excel spreadsheet containing our budget) I realized that if I was going to find something for the empty wall in Teacup's corner, I was going to have to get creative.

So when I saw this super cute idea for hanging picture frames from Better than Life, I just knew I had to try it! I mean...it looks super simple and doesn't require a hot glue! That's my kind of craft project :)

What I used:

A white curtain rod I found in the storage closet.

Three basic 5x7 black frames from the dollar store

Roll of pink ribbon (12 ft)

Pink craft paint

Scrapbook paper

Hammer, nails, and painters tap

I started by painting the frames pink. It took two coats of paint to cover up the black. I would definitely recommend letting the paint dry completely before painting another coat. It takes more time this way, but the paint covers a lot better.

Then I cut pieces of scrapbook paper to fit inside each frame. I was going to leave the frames blank and put pictures in them later, but after looking around and realizing that most of the picture frames hanging in my house are still empty, I figured I better go ahead and put scrapbook paper in them. At least they'll be cute, empty frames!

Once my frames were done I cut the ribbon into three equal lengths, and threaded the pieces through the hook on the back of the frames.

I had my husband hang the curtain rod by setting it on nails in the wall. You could use the wall brackets that come with the curtain rod, but I found that the frames had a tendency to swing too much if they were that far out from the wall.

Next I put a piece of painters tape on the back of each frame and, one at a time, placed them on the wall and tied the ribbon to the bar. The tape isn't really strong enough to hold the weight of the frames, but it does help keep them in place and frees up both hands to tie the ribbon. I found that just tying each frame while they were hanging on the wall was the easiest way to make sure they were the right height and distance apart.

So there you have it. Total the project cost me about $5 since all I had to buy were frames and ribbon.

I guess sometimes it pays to be crafty!

*You should know that after completing this project, I was so empowered by my inner craftiness that I set out to make a baby wreath for Teacup! Craziness! I'll post the how-to after Christmas :)